Spartans Meet Notre Dame in B1G Tournament Quarterfinal Series

Friday, March 8

Notre Dame, Ind.

7:00 p.m.

Michigan State University

Notre Dame

Spartans Meet Notre Dame in B1G Tournament Quarterfinal Series

3/6/2019 12:11:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals – best-of-three series
No. 7 seed Michigan State (12-17-5, 8-12-4-2 B1G) at No. 2 seed Notre Dame (18-13-3, 11-11-2-2 B1G)
Dates | Times: Friday, March 8 | 7 p.m. // Saturday, March 9 | 7 p.m. // Sunday, March 10 | 7 p.m. (If Nec.)
Location: Compton Family Ice Arena | Notre Dame, Ind.
Web Stream: BTN Plus on BTN2Go ($)
Radio: Spartan Sports Network | Local: WJIM-AM 1240
B1G Tournament Central: Bracket
Game Notes: Michigan State | Notre Dame | Big Ten
Social Media: @MSU_Hockey

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On The Fly…
• Michigan State will meet No. 16/15 Notre Dame on the road in the best-of-three quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament this weekend … The teams will play on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., and, if necessary, 7 p.m. on Sunday.

• The Spartans closed the regular season with a split on the road vs. regular season Big Ten champ and No. 7 Ohio State (L, 5-1; W, 3-2).

• The seventh-seeded Spartans went 0-3-1 against the No. 2 seed Fighting Irish this season, including going 0-1-1 in their last series, Jan. 25-26, on the road.

• Michigan State and Notre Dame both went 5-5-2 over their final 12 Big Ten games.

• Junior Taro Hirose is the 2018-19 Big Ten scoring champion after producing a league-high 34 (10g, 24a) points in 24 games … He's the first Spartan to capture a conference scoring crown since Torey Krug in 2011-12.

• Hirose continues to lead the nation in points (50), points per game (1.47) and assists (35) … His 50 points are the most by a Spartan since John-Michael Liles had the same number in 2002-03.

• The KHL line of Taro Hirose (15-35--50), Patrick Khodorenko (18-19--37) and Mitchell Lewandowski (16-18--34) has combined for 121 points, which is the most of any line in the country.

• Patrick Khodorenko's 18 goals are second most in the Big Ten and 10th most nationally, while his 37 points rank sixth in the league … Khodorenko's nine power-play goals are second most in the NCAA and tied for the most in the Big Ten ... Khodorenko has points in three of the last four games (2g, 2a).

• Dennis Cesana leads all freshmen defensemen nationally and all Big Ten rookies in assists with 21 … Cesana's 24 points are tied for the most of any rookie in the Big Ten and are the most by a Spartan freshman blueliner since Jeff Petry had the same number in 2007-08.

• The Spartans rank 10th in the country and third in the Big Ten in power play percentage at .235 and have a goal one the man-advantage in four of the last five games (5-for-14) … The Spartans' 28 power-play goals are their most since 2010-11 when they had the same number.

• Since the beginning of January, Michigan State is averaging 3.25 goals per game, which ranks 14th over the span and is 0.34 above its season average.

• The Spartans' current 2.91 goals per game average ranks 27th nationally, while their 99 total goals are the most since 2011-12.

About Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish are coming off a split at home in their final regular season series with Penn State (W, 5-4 OT; L, 3-2) … Notre Dame split each of its last three Big Ten series … Notre Dame is second in the Big Ten and 16th in the nation goals against per game at 2.41 … UND's power play is 11th nationally at .232, while its penalty kill is 33rd at .806 … Senior defenseman Bobby Nardella leads the team in points (31) and assists (24), while Michael Graham and Cal Burke share the lead in goals (11) … Goaltender Cale Morris has started 29 of 34 games and has 2.38 GAA and .925 save percentage.

Against Notre Dame
MSU leads the all-time series 62-49-12, while ND leads in games played in South Bend, 28-23-8 … The Spartans are 0-3-1 in their four games vs. Notre Dame this season … The Spartans' two losses at home in November were by two goals and a goal, respectively … Four the Spartans' last six losses to the Irish have been by two goals or fewer … Taro Hirose is the Spartans' active leader in goals (4) and points (7) vs. Notre Dame.

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Hirose Continuing to Lead the Nation
Junior Hobey Baker Award candidate Taro Hirose has proven to be one of the most consistent offensive producers in the country and for the ninth straight week he leads the country in points (50), assists (35) and points per game (1.47). His 15 multi-point games are tied for tops in the nation and bode well for the Spartans as MSU is 10-4-1 when he records multiple points, and 7-1-1 when he has three points.

Hirose, who took over the NCAA lead in points and assists on Jan.4, has points in all but eight games this season, including in 20 of the last 25. He had a career best nine-game point streak from Jan. 11 – Feb. 8 over which he had 16 points (6g, 10a).

Khodorenko's Scoring Touch
Patrick Khodorenko is having his best season for the Green and White with a career-high 18 goals and 37 points, which rank 10th and 17th, respectively, in the country. In the 16 games since the beginning of January, Khodorenko has 20 points (6g, 14a).

The native of Walnut Creek, California, who played for Danton Cole with the USNTDP has found a good amount of success on the power play as his nine goals on the man-advantage are tied for the most in the Big Ten and second most in the nation.

Khodorenko has four points (2g, 2a) over the last four games. He had four points vs. Wisconsin (Feb. 1-2), including two goals in the 4-1 win. On Jan. 4 vs. Ohio State he became the first Spartan since Greg Wolfe in 2011 to have four assists in a game. It was his second four-point game of the season as he was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week on Nov. 6 for the first time in his career after a hat trick and assist on Nov. 2 in a win over Ferris State.

Hirose On Pace With Elite Spartans
Taro Hirose's offensive pace is placing him with some of the best Spartan point-producers since 2000. With 116 points in 104 games, he became just 15th Spartan to hit the 100-point mark since 2000 (69th in program history).

Most impressively are Hirose's points and assists-per-game averages. Of the 15 Spartans to reach 100 career points since 2000, Hirose has the highest point-per-game average at 1.12, above even Jim Slater (1.1 points per game/172 career points) and Shawn Horcoff (0.98 points per game/152 career points).

With 83 total helpers, Hirose's 0.80 assist per game average is the highest of any Spartan that reached the 100 point mark since 2000. The 83 assists are the sixth most by a Spartan since 2000. In his career (104 games), Hirose has more games with multiple points (32) than games without a point (30).

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B1G Scoring Champ
Taro Hirose became the first Spartan since Torey Krug in 2011-12 to lead the league in points in conference games. Hirose had points in 18 of 24 games and his 34 points were three more than any other player, while his 24 assists tied for the league lead and were one shy of the record (25, JT Compher, U-M 2015-16).

In B1G Play…
Mitchell Lewandowski was one of four players with a league-high 13 goals in Big Ten play … Patrick Khodorenko had 29 points in Big Ten action, which ranked third, while his 12 goals ranked fifth … Tommy Apap led in faceoff wins (263) and his .566 faceoff winning percentage was third highest.

Cesana Leading B1G Rookies
Rookie Dennis Cesana has made a significant impact on the Spartan blue line this season as he's tied for the Big Ten lead in points among all rookies with 24. His 21 assists also lead all Big Ten rookies. His 24 points are the most by a Spartan freshman defenseman since Jeff Petry had the same number in 2007-08.

The native of Providence, R.I., who led all defensemen in the AJHL in points (75) last season, has produced seven multi-point games, the most recent of which came in the regular-season finale win at OSU (2a). He has 16 points (2g, 14a) over the last 18 games.

New Year Brings Goals
The Spartan offense has trended upward with the beginning of the new calendar year as since the beginning of January, MSU is averaging 3.25 goals per game, which ranks 14th over the span and is 0.34 above its season average. The Spartans' 29 goals in January were tied for the fifth most in the country during the month.

MSU scored at least five goals in three straight games from Jan. 12-20 for the first time since Feb. 2008. Their 10 total goals in the sweep of Minnesota were their most in a series since an Oct. 2017 sweep of Lake Superior State (4-3, 6-0).

Currently, the Spartans are averaging 2.91 goals per game, which ranks 27th in the country and is 0.38 higher than their average from last season. MSU's 99 total goals are their most since 2011-12.

Lewandowski Back Among B1G's Top Scorers
After being held without a point in the final three games of December, Mitchell Lewandowski recaptured the form that made him the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season. Lewandowski's 11 goals since the beginning of January are tied for the most in the Big Ten and fourth most in the country over the span.

He had a career best eight-game point streak from Jan. 11 - Feb. 2, over which he produced 12 points (7g, 5a). On the season, his 34 points (16g, 18a) equal his total from last season and rank ninth in the Big Ten.

Last year's Big Ten Rookie of the Year was named the league's second star of the week on Jan. 22 after scoring two goals in both games of the sweep of Minnesota.

Rosburg Having a Career Best Season
After posting 11 points in each of his first two seasons, redshirt junior defenseman Jerad Rosburg has 16 (4g, 12a) this season, which is the second most among Spartan blue liners. Four of Rosburg's points (1g, 3a) have come in the five games. He also leads the Spartans in blocked shots with 71.

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Young on the Back End
For the second straight year, the Spartans have just one senior defenseman in Zach Osburn. While Osburn is the Spartans' active leader in games played at 139, he is surrounded by youth with three freshmen – Dennis Cesana, Cole Krygier and Christian Krygier – and a sophomore – Tommy Miller – in the regular playing group. Redshirt junior Jerad Rosburg has played in all 34 games, while junior Butrus Ghafari has played in 26.

Lethemon Leads Spartans in Wins
Junior John Lethemon has been in goal for each of the last two MSU victories (Feb. 15 vs. Penn State; March 2 at Ohio State), making 44 and 32 saves, respectively. Five of his nine wins this season have come in Big Ten play and all have come since January 12th.

Powering Up
The Spartans have had the their most success on the power play this season since 2011-12. MSU enters the weekend 10th in the country and third in the Big Ten with a .235 conversion rate on the man-advantage, while the Spartans' 28 power play goals are their most since 2011-12.

MSU has a power-play goal in six of the last eight games (7-for-25; .280) and in four of the last five games (5-for-14; .357).

Patrick Khodorenko leads the Spartans with 17 power-play points, which is third most in the Big Ten. His nine power play goals are second most in the country and tied for the most in the conference. Taro Hirose has 16 points on the man-advantage (3g, 16), while 13 (6g, 7a) of Cody Milan's points this season have come while MSU is on the power play.

College Hockey's Highest-Scoring Line
Since playing together in the first game of last season, Patrick Khodorenko (18-19--37), Taro Hirose (15-35--50) and Mitchell Lewandowski (16-18--34) have combined to form one of college hockey's most dangerous lines.

• Has combined for eight game-winning goals this season
• Combined for 121 of 265 (46%) of the Spartans' total points, up from 108 (44g, 64a) last season in 36 games … That's a combined 229 points in 70 career games playing together (3.3/gm)
• Combined for a season-high 10 points on Jan. 4 vs. Ohio State

Khodorenko – 18 goals (T-10th NCAA), 37 points (6th B1G) ... MSU's active career leader in goals (38) ... Ranked 12th in the Big Ten and third on the team in points (32) last season.

Hirose – Has led the nation in points (50) assists (35) since Jan. 5 … Has nine game-winning points - fourth highest in the nation ... Has points in 34 of 43 games dating back to last season ... Has 15 multi-point games this season and 32 in his career ... Just the 15th Spartan since 2000 to hit the 100-career point mark (33-83--116) ... 2018 All-Big Ten second team … His 42 points last season were the most by a Spartan since Corey Tropp had the same number in 2009-10.

Lewandowski – Team leader with four game-winning goals and active leader with nine in his career ... 16 goals (T-20th NCAA), 34 points (T-9th B1G) ... 2018 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and only unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman team … Led all rookies nationally in goals (19) and tied for the most in the Big Ten (among all players) during the regular season.

Of Note vs. Ohio State (March 1-2)
Extinguished 7-of-8 OSU power plays, marking the third time in the last four series MSU held an opponent to no more than one power-play goal … The line of Brennan Sanford (1a), Brody Stevens (1g) and Tommy Apap (1a) led MSU in points … John Lethemon made 32 saves, including 17 in the third period, to earn his ninth win of the season … The Spartans have split their last four regular season road series at OSU, dating back to the 2014-15 season.